Crash Dummy Review

Previously released on PC and Consoles, Crash Dummy has landed on iOS devices. Gamers help navigate a crash impact dummy known as Cid through a variety of challenging levels in order to help professor Advisor get his kidnapped daughter back safely.

Crash Dummy starts with a nice storyline that can be skipped if desired. Players are then thrown into a tutorial level which shows them the ropes. Through text dialogue with the professor, gamers learn how to maneuver Cid with the on-screen control pad on the left and the buttons on the right. The controls seem to work pretty well once gamers adapt to them. I didn't see any control options other then switching the control pad and buttons from left to right.

The crash test dummy has a lot of moves up his sleeve. For instance, collecting 10 orbs activates the panic mode which sends electromagnetic waves to nearby enemies and stealth mode allows him to walk silently to escape security cameras. He even carries a bazooka in order to take out tough enemies, which can come in handy during boss levels. When there’s no ammo to shoot, Cid can punch out opponents. While this crash test dummy has many great features, he isn’t exactly invincible. Falling from a high distance can cause him to break, and it’s game over if his battery is depleted.

The graphics and content really shine in this game, but unfortunately there are a few glaring areas that hold it back. For instance, the in-game tutorial is quite lengthy as there is a lot to learn before players can get started. This resulted in a little bit of frustration as I like to just jump right into a game. I found myself tapping on the skip button way too often. In addition, there are long loading screens to deal with not only between levels but within levels as gamers progress from one area to the next.

It takes a little time to make it through all 16 levels as they are locked at first. It’s possible to go back and replay levels to achieve a higher score, but there isn’t any Game Center integration so I didn’t see the point. While there is some room for improvement, I still enjoyed the clever dialogue and intriguing gameplay. Those who aren’t quite sold on the platformer can check out Crash Dummy Lite for free to get a feel for it first.